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Sensorimotor Impairment in the Elderly pp 73–87Cite as

Age-Related Slowing

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Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASID,volume 75))

Abstract

Age-related slowing is one of the most robust findings in gerontology. Its locus is almost certainly within the central nervous system and its cause has been the thrust of much of modern geropsychology. The specific or general nature of the slowing has also received much attention both from an information processing perspective and from a neuropsychological approach. This presentation will outline a series of experiments which include information processing and kinematic motion analysis to focus on the phenomena of age-related slowing and possible explanations. The argument is made that the process of aging results in a disorganization of the central nervous system, such that quantitative (slowing) and qualitative (discoordination) changes are seen. This disorganization may be modelled using neural networks and, with respect to movement, the notion of selective disintegration of coordinative structures. If the degrees of freedom that are usually constrained to act as a unit must be independently controlled in the elderly, the cost could very well be slowness and loss of coordination.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Jewish Hospital, Washington University Medical Center, 216 S. Kingshighway, St. Louis, Missouri, 63110, USA

    Virginia Diggles Buckles

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  1. Virginia Diggles Buckles
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Motor Control Section, Exercise and Sport Research Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA

    George E. Stelmach

  2. Neurological Therapy Center, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Volker Hömberg

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© 1993 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Buckles, V.D. (1993). Age-Related Slowing. In: Stelmach, G.E., Hömberg, V. (eds) Sensorimotor Impairment in the Elderly. NATO ASI Series, vol 75. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1976-4_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1976-4_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4872-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-1976-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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